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Nonviolent direct actions against coal
Nonviolent direct action - a term which, in contemporary social movements, is usually used to refer to acts of civil disobedience, in which activists blockade or occupy public or private space - has become an increasingly common tactic of anti-coal climate activists since 2005. While groups such as Greenpeace have used direct action tactics since the 1970's, in the last three years other climate justice movements (such as Rising Tide, Rainforest Action Network, Earth First!, and indigenous groups) have used direct action tactics in order to escalate pressure on coal mining and power companies, financial institutions which invest in coal companies, and government officials that support the coal industry. Anti-coal activists have stages dozens of such direct actions in the past few years, many of which have been highly successful at directing public attention toward the growing anti-coal movement.Ted Nace, Stopping Coal in Its Tracks, Orion Magazine, January/February 2008. Definition and history of nonviolent direct action The term "direct action" refers to political activities which attempt to bring about changes in the world in a direct and unmediated way. This concept of mediation is key to the distinction, drawn by many proponents of direct action, between direct and symbolic action: in a symbolic action, participants appeal to government officials or other power-holders to make changes on their behalf, while, in a direct action, participants directly make the changes that they want to see in the world.What is Direct Action?. Infoshop website, accessed January 2008. Several categories of political and economic activities can thus be understood as direct actions: #Strikes or boycotts against economic authorities #Blockades and occupations of physical spaces #Destruction of property or resources #Violent resistance against authorities #Building alternatives to existing social/economic relationships The term "direct action" was first used by anarchist and radical socialist labor activists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These activists understood direct action as involving all five of the above categories of tactics, but they focused especially on strikes, sabotage, and violent resistance.de Cleyre, Voltairine. "Direct Action." In the 1970's and 80's, the term "direct action" was adopted by European and American anti-nuclear activists. In this context, the term almost always referred to the second category of direct action: blockades and occupations of nuclear power plants, of roads leading into those plants, and of military bases where nuclear weapons were being stored. Also, direct actions by anti-nuclear movements - who were often influenced by Gandhian principles of nonviolenceGandhi, Mahatma. "The Power of Nonviolence." Mkgandhi.org website, accessed January 2008. - usually referred to such blockades as nonviolent direct actions (thus linking themselves with the nonviolent civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960's, and distancing themselves from the more violent history of direct action as a tactic of radical labor activists in the early 20th century). Prominent examples of anti-nuclear nonviolent direct actions include the attempted blockade of a nuclear test in French Polynesia by the ship Greenpeace III in 1972,Weyler, Rex. Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World. Rodale Books, 2004. the blockade of the Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire between 1977 and 1979,Wasserman, Harvey. "How Creative Mass Non-Violence Beat a Nuke and Launched the Global Green Power Movement." Free Press, May 13, 2007. and the occupations of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant between 1977 and 1981.Wills, John. Conservation Fallout: Nuclear Protest at Diablo Canyon. Univ. of Nevada Press, 2006. In the 1980's and 90's, nonviolent direct action tactics (again, focusing primarily on blockades and occupations) have spread from the anti-nuclear movement to anti-globalization, anti-war, and radical environmental activist organizations and movements.Wood, Lesley. "The Diffusion of Direct Action Tactics: From Seattle to Toronto and New York." Dissertation, Department of Sociology, Columbia University. 2005. A variety of tactics have been developed by these activists to occupy spaces for the maximum amount of time, with the goal of disrupting the activities of target institutions. Large-scale examples of contemporary nonviolent direct actions include the November 1999 blockade of the Seattle summit of the World Trade Organization,Thomas, Janet. The Battle in Seattle: The Story Behind and Beyond the WTO Demonstrations. Fulcrum Publishing, 2000.Clashes, Protests Wrack WTO, Seattle Times, November 30, 1999. the March 2003 blockade of the San Francisco financial district by anti-war activists,Protest Creates Gridlock on SF Streets, San Francisco Chronicle, March 20, 2003. and actions against the June 2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany.Thousands of Protesters Foil Some German Security Measures and Clash With the Police, New York Times, June 7, 2007. Anti-coal direct actions Nov. 10, 2004: Chesapeake Climate Action Network blockade of Dickerson Power Plant On November 10, 2004, a group of Chesapeake Climate Action Network activists, students, farmers, and religious officials held a protest against the coal-fired Dickerson Power Plant in Montgomery County, Maryland. During the protest, six people were arrested for blocking the entrance road to the plant. The protestors called on the plant's owner, the Mirant Corporation, to stop opposing state and federal legislation against power plant pollution.Demonstrators Decry Mirant Corporation for Ignoring Public Health and Global Warming, Chesapeake Climate Action Network press release, November 10, 2004. Mar. 6, 2005: Save Happy Valley Coalition occupation of Solid Energy headquarters On March 6, 2005, four Save Happy Valley Coalition activists locked down at the corporate headquarters of Solid Energy in Christchurch, New Zealand, in protest of Solid Energy's plans to build a coal mine in Happy Valley. Supporters hung banners and pitched tents on Solid Energy's property. The occupation came one day after Solid Energy sued three activists for defamation.Anti-Coal Protestors Lock On to Solid Energy, Aotearoa Independent Media Centre, March 6, 2005. July 16, 2005: First Nations Mt. Klappan mine blockade On July 16, 2005, representatives of three British Columbia First Nations tribes - the Telegraph Elders, the Tl’abânot’în Clan, and the Iskut First Nations - blockaded a road leading to the Mount Klappan coalfields in northwestern British Columbia. Tl’abânot’în tribe members had notified the mine's owners, Fortune Minerals, that their mine infringed upon Tl’abânot’în Aboriginal Title and Rights, as the company had failed to consult adequately with the tribe; Fortune Minerals had ignored the tribe's appeals. The blockade was maintained for seven weeks.Mine Road Blockade Rooted in Tahitan Dispute, Toronto Globe & Mail, September 7, 2005.Fortune Minerals Blocked From Entering the Mount Klappan Coal Fields, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty website, July 28, 2005.Struggles of the Tahtlan Nation, Canadian Dimension, December 2005. Aug. 13, 2005: Save Happy Valley Coalition coal train blockade On August 13, 2005, a group of 25 Save Happy Valley Coalition activists and allies blockaded train tracks leading from Solid Energy's coal mines to the port of Lyttelton, New Zealand, in protest of Solid Energy's plans to build a coal mine in Happy Valley. Two people locked themselves to the tracks, while a third suspended himself from a tree 100 feet in the air, attached to a support rope that was tied to the tracks. Four Solid Energy trains stood on the tracks for five hours, while police cleared the blockade; the company claimed in court that the blockade cost them $150,000. The three blockaders were arrested.Protesters Stop Solid Energy Coal Trains, Save Happy Valley Coalition press release, August 13, 2005.Save Happy Valley Members in Court, Save Happy Valley Coalition press release, February 9, 2006. Aug. 15, 2005: Earth First!/Mountain Justice Summer blockade of Campbell County mountaintop removal site On August 15, 2005, Earth First! and Mountain Justice Summer activists blockaded a road leading to National Coal's mountaintop removal coal mine in Campbell County, Tennessee. Activists stopped a car on the road, removed its tires, locked themselves to the vehicle, and erected a tripod with a person perched on top of it. National Coal workers arrived and threatened the protestors; one tried to ram the tripod with his car. Eleven people were arrested; the police treated the arrested activists very roughly, endangering their safety.Eleven Arrested Protesting ET Coal Mine, WBIR website, August 15, 2005.Tennessee Coal Road Blocked to Protest Mountaintop Removal Mining, Mines & Communities website, August 15, 2005. June 5, 2006, and Nov. 3, 2007: Rising Tide boat blockades of Newcastle port On June 5, 2006, in a Rising Tide Australia action, 70 people used small boats to blockade the port of Newcastle, Australia, which exports 80 million tons of coal each year. The protest aimed to call attention to a planned expansion that would allow the port to export twice that amount.Exporting Climate Disaster: People Take Back the Port, It's Getting Hot In Here blog, June 8, 2006. The action was repeated by 100 people on Nov. 3, 2007: at this second action, participants attempted to block ships from entering the port for four hours, but police boats managed to escort three ships into the port. At one point, a police jetski rammed one woman's kayak, resulting in her hospitalization.Protestors Block Coal Ships in Newcastle, Sydney Morning Herald, November 3, 2007.Port Blockade a Success, Rising Tide Australia website, accessed January 2008. July 10, 2006: Earth First!/Rising Tide blockade of Clinch River Power Plant On July 10, 2006, 75 Earth First! and Rising Tide North America activists blockaded an access bridge leading to American Electric Power's coal-fired Clinch River Power Plant near Carbo, Virginia. Several people stretched a rope across the bridge and suspended themselves off the bridge's edge; others waved a coal truck onto the bridge, blockaded it, deflated its tires, and locked themselves to the truck. The protestors demanded that Clinch River and other outdated coal plants be shut down, and that mountaintop removal coal mining be ended. After several hours in which coal trucks were unable to get into the plant, police agreed to make no arrests if the activists would dismantle their blockades.Earth First! Blockades Power Plant, Asheville Global Report, July 26, 2007.Resisting King Coal, Rising Tide website, July 11, 2006. Aug. 31, 2006: Drax Power Plant blockade attempt On August 31, 2006, around 600 people attempted to shut down the Drax coal-fired power plant in Selby, England, in a widely-publicized action - organized by a variety of environmental groups - that was billed as "the battle of Drax." Several raiding parties of activists were arrested while trying to break through the perimeter fence. A larger crowd of people then pushed through police lines, and were arrested as well. 38 people were arrested throughout the day, in a massive show of force by area police. Many power plant staff didn't show up for the day, and others locked their doors.In the Shadow of Drax, Not So Much a Fight as a Festival, The Guardian, September 1, 2006.Green Protestors Mass to Close 'Drax the Destroyer', Climate Ark website, August 31, 2006. site on Dec. 12, 2006.]] Dec. 12, 2006: Dooda Desert Rock blockade On December 12, 2006, members of the Diné tribe blockaded a road leading to the planned site of the Desert Rock coal-fired power plant near Farmington, New Mexico, in protest of Sithe Global Energy's failure to fully consult with members of the community. Ten activists with the group Dooda Desert Rock set up a campsite on the road. On December 22, under threat of arrest, the campsite was moved to a nearby location, and company vehicles were once again able to access the site. This protest campsite has been continually occupied ever since. No arrests have been made.Protesters Blockade Desert Rock Site, Gallup Independent, December 13, 2006.Resisters Move, Gallup Independent, December 22, 2006.Desert Rock Blog, accessed January 2008. Feb. 27, 2007: Rising Tide blockade of New South Wales Labor Party On February 27, 2007, 15 Rising Tide Australia activists blockaded the headquarters of the New South Wales Labor Party, in a protest of the provincial government's proposed plans to expand the Newcastle coal port. Activists blocked the door with several 44-gallon drums, and one woman chained herself to one of the blockades. The protestors demanded that the provincial government announce whether or not the port would be expanded. Two people were arrested.Two Arrests in Coal Protest, Fox News, February 27, 2007.ALP HQ Blockade: Decision on Newcastle Coal Export Terminal Needed, Rising Tide Australia website, accessed January 2008. Mar. 16, 2007: Sit-in at West Virginia Gov. Manchin's office On March 16, 2007, dozens of West Virginia community members - together with activists from Mountain Justice Summer and Rising Tide North America - occupied the office of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, in protest of the State Mine Board's approval of construction permits for a second coal silo near Marsh Fork Elementary School in Sundial, West Virginia. Community activists demanded that the state move the school; state officials have failed to comply thus far. Eleven people were arrested at this action, and many were treated roughly by police.11 Protesters Arrested at West Virginia Governor’s Office, Mountain Justice Summer website, accessed January 2008. Apr. 13, 2007: Blockade of Asheville Merrill Lynch On April 13, 2007, two people calling themselves members of the "Climate Justice League" entered a Merrill Lynch building in Asheville, North Carolina, dumped a sack of coal in the lobby, and used a bicycle lock to blockade the door. The activists demanded that Merrill Lynch stop funding mountaintop removal coal mining companies such as Massey Energy. No arrests were reported.Climate Justice League Strikes Merrill Lynch, Infoshop News, April 13, 2007. June 8, 2007: ASEN blockade of New South Wales Department of Planning On June 8, 2007, Australian Student Environment Network activists blockaded the office of the New South Wales Department of Planning. The protestors criticized the Department's June 7 decision to allow the Anvil Hill coal mine to fully drain the Hunter River, in order to supply its mine with water. One person, dressed as a polar bear, chained herself to the doors of the building.Polar Bear Locks On at Department of Planning Against Anvil Hill Mine, Australian Student Environment Network website, June 8, 2007. July 3, 2007: Greenpeace blockade of New South Wales Department of Planning On July 3, 2007, Greenpeace Australia activists dumped four tons of coal in front of the door of the New South Wales Department of Planning, blocking the entrance to the building. The protestors criticized the Department's June 7 decision to allow the Anvil Hill coal mine to fully drain the Hunter River, in order to supply its mine with water. The sign outside the office was changed to read "Department of Coal Approvals." No arrests were reported.Greenpeace Dawn Blockade: Climate Protestors Call for ‘No New Coal’ as NSW Water Crisis Worsens, Greenpeace Australia press release, July 3, 2007. Aug. 13, 2007: Earth First! occupation of Asheville Bank of America On August 13, 2007, 40 activists from Blue Ridge Earth First! occupied a Bank of America branch in Asheville, North Carolina. The protestors condemned Bank of America's ongoing funding of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia. Two people locked themselves to the main lobby, while others blockaded the entrance to the branch, and delivered coal to the bank's managers. Five people were arrested, and protestors later claimed that police had used Tasers against them.Protestors, Police Amass in Downtown Asheville, Mountain Xpress, August 13, 2007.Southeast Convergence for Climate Action Shuts Down Bank of America, Blue Ridge Earth First! website, August 14, 2007. Sept. 3, 2007: Occupation of Loy Yang Power Plant On September 3, 2007, activists from Real Action on Climate Change occupied the coal-fired Loy Yang Power Station in Traralgon, Australia. Two people chained themselves to the coal conveyor belt, and others hung several large banners from the plant. The action took place several days before an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Sydney, and was intended to draw attention to Prime Minister John Howard's failure to limit Australian carbon emissions. Four people were arrested.Climate Protest Shuts Down Power Station, ABC News, September 3, 2007.Disrupting Loy Yang, Real Action on Climate Change blog, September 3, 2007. Sept. 4, 2007: ASEN Occupation of Newcastle coal port On September 4, 2007, 20 activists from the Australian Student Environment Network occupied the coal port in Newcastle, Australia. Five people chained themselves to machinery at the Carrington Coal Terminal. The action took place several days before an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Sydney, and was intended to draw attention to Prime Minister John Howard's failure to limit Australian carbon emissions. Eleven people were arrested.11 Arrested at APEC Coal Protest, ASEN website, September 4, 2007. Oct. 8, 2007: Greenpeace occupation of Kingsnorth Power Plant On October 8, 2007, 50 Greenpeace UK activists occupied the Kingsnorth coal-fired power plant near Kent, England. One team of people shut down the conveyor belts carrying coal into the plant, and then chained themselves to the machinery. Another team scaled the plant's chimney, upon which they painted the phrase "Gordon Bit It." Greenpeace held the action in protests of plans by the plant's owners, E.ON, to build two new coal-fired plants at the site - which would be the first coal-fired power plants built in the UK in 20 years. Police arrested 18 people during the action.Protestors Raid Coal Power Plant, BBC News, October 8, 2007.Greenpeace Shuts Down Coal Fired Power Station, Greenpeace UK website, October 8, 2007. Nov. 5, 2007: Rainforest Action Network blockade of D.C. Citibank branch On November 5, 2007, activists from Rainforest Action Network, Coal River Mountain Watch, and the Student Environmental Action Coalition joined hundreds of student activists in blockading Citibank branch in Washington, D.C., in protest of Citibank's ongoing funding of new coal power plant development. RAN activists performed a "die-in" and delivered a wheelbarrow full of coal to the bank's managers. Police shut the branch down for the day, and no arrests were made.Coalfield Residents, Activists and Students Close Down D.C. Citi Branch, Rainforest Action Network press release, November 5, 2007. For photos, see RAN's Flickr page. Nov. 15, 2007: Rainforest Action Network day of action against coal finance On November 15, 2007, Rainforest Action Network activists - acting together with allies from Coal River Mountain Watch, Appalachian Voices, Rising Tide North America, Mountain Justice Summer, Student Environmental Action Coalition, and Energy Justice Network - staged dozens of actions against Citibank and Bank of America branches in cities across the county, in protest of those two companies' refusal to stop funding new coal power plant development and coal mountaintop removal mining. In San Francisco, RAN activists attached caution tape - reading "Global Warming Crime Scene" - to dozens of Bank of America and Citibank ATMs, and held "cough-ins" in several branches. Similar ATM closure actions were held in New York City, Davis (CA), Los Angeles, Portland (OR), and St. Petersburg (FL), while protests against the two companies were held in numerous other cities.Thousands Take to the Streets to Protest Citi and Bank of America’s Coal Investments, Rainforest Action Network press release, November 16, 2007. For photos, see RAN's Flickr page. Nov. 15, 2007: Student blockade of Duke Energy headquarters On November 15, 2007, two Warren Wilson College students - dressed as polar bears - chained themselves to the door of Duke Energy's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, in protest of Duke's plans to build the Cliffside coal-fired power plant in western North Carolina. Several dozen people held a rally in support of their blockade, dressing as Santa Claus and elves and presenting a stocking full of coal to the company. The two students were arrested on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct.Students Chain Selves to Duke, Raleigh News & Observer, November 16, 2007.Direct Action at Duke Energy Over Proposed Coal Expansion, It's Getting Hot In Here blog, November 15, 2007. Nov. 15, 2007: Greenpeace occupation of Munmorah Power Station On November 15, 2007, 15 Greenpeace Australia activists occupied the Munmorah coal-fired power plant near Wyong, Australia. Two teams of five people - including engineers - switched off the conveyor belt that brings coal into the plant, and then chained themselves to the machinery. Another team painted "Coal Kills" on the roof of the plant, and hung a large banner inside. The action took place several days before Australian parliamentary elections, and was held in protest of the climate change policies of both major Australian political parties. All fifteen people were arrested by police.Chain Reaction: 15 Protestors Arrested, Sydney Morning Herald, November 15, 2007. Nov. 19, 2007: Rising Tide Kooragang Coal Terminal rail blockade On November 19, 2007, several Rising Tide Australia activists blocked a train carrying coal to the Kooragang Island coal terminal - from which 80 million tons of coal are exported each year. One person chained himself to the train; he was later arrested. The protestors demanded that the Australian government begin to reduce Australia's reliance on coal.Coal Terminal Blockage Ended, Sydney Morning Herald, November 19, 2007. For photos, see Rising Tide Australia's website.Coal Train Blockaded, Rising Tide website, November 19, 2007. Dec. 5, 2007: Blockade of Ffos-y-fran coal mine construction site On December 5, 2007, about thirty local residents and activists from a variety of environmental groups - many of whom were dressed as polar bears - occupied the Ffos-y-fran coal mine construction site in South Wales. Several polar bears chained themselves to bulldozers, while other people hung a banner from one bulldozer criticizing Prime Minister Gordon Brown's ongoing support for coal power (the action was timed to coincide with the Bali climate change negotiations). Miller Argent, the company digging the mine, plans to remove 11 million tons of coal from the site. Several community groups have spoken out against the mine, which is being built about forty yards from several homes.Activists Stop Welsh Coalmine Excavation, The Guardian, December 5, 2007. For video, see Polar Bears Populate Welsh Coal Mine. Resources References Category: Coal IssuesCategory:Global warmingCategory:Energy